As the second season of Willmar Stingers baseball is less than 80 days away, the organization is continuing to finalize this year’s roster. Signing this week with the organization are five pitchers, leaving the club with a total of 11 roster spots to fill. The Stingers will put the final touches on the remaining roster before opening day, which is at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1 against the Thunder Bay Border Cats at Bill Taunton Stadium.
Pitchers announced this week are Sophomore Sean Wardour (California State University-Dominguez Hills), Junior Kurt Spomer (Creighton University), Sophomore Scott Leiser (St. Cloud State University), Junior Chris Gonzales (Point Loma Nazarene University) and Sophomore Zach Hull (Lewis & Clark University).
All five of these athletes have started off their spring season across the country with impressive numbers led by Gonzales. In 25 innings pitched, Gonzales has only given up two earned runs, a .086 Earned Run Average. Gonzales, a 6 foot 3 inch, 190 lbs. right-handed pitcher began his college career at Fresno City College before transferring to Point Loma this season.
Other pitching additions to this year’s team are Spomer and Leiser who pitched well in summer leagues last summer. Spomer, a 6 foot 2 inch right-hander, pitched for the DeKalb County Liners in the Prospect Collegiate League. He finished the year with 60 2/3 innings pitched with an impressive 2.67 Earned Run Average. He has been used out of the bullpen for the BlueJays this spring and has appeared in six games with opponents hitting just .182. The Honey Creek, Iowa native graduated from Tri-Center High School and was named the 2008 High School Male Athlete of the Year by the Daily Nonpariel in Council Bluffs.
Leiser, a 6 foot 3 inch, 190 lbs. right-handed pitcher played for the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League on a temporary contract last summer. He had a 2-1 record in 25 innings pitched with a 2.16 Earned Run Average. So far this spring for the Huskies, Leiser has a 1-0 record and has yet to walk a hitter.
The other two pitchers signed this week are Hull and Wardour, Hull, a 6 foot 3 inch, 215 lbs. left-handed pitcher has pitched 11 innings this spring so far and no not given up a run. Wardour is a 6 foot 5 inch, 225 lbs. right-handed pitcher who is one of the Toros starters this spring.
